Automatic bobbin cleaner



Dec. 3, 1929. T. A. LACEY ET AL 1,737,969

AUTOMATIC BOBBIN CLEANER File April 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l Dec. 3, 1929. T. A. LACEY ET AL AUTOMATIC BOBBIN CLEANER Filed April 15, 19327 2Sheets-Sheet 2 liar/anion! flmlumfilw fllilipfllaggr Patented Dec. 3, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE THOMAS A. LACEY, or soMEnviLLn, MASSACHUSETTS, AND PHILIP n. LAGEY, or

TROY,

OHIO

AUTOMATIC BOBBIN CLEANER Application filed April 13,

This invention relates to automatic bobbin cleaners for weft-replenishing looms. In such looms, the bobbin or other weft carrier when theoretically empty, is automatically J ejected from the loom. As a practical matter, however, a relatively short length of yarn is left on the bobbin when it is ejected from the loom so as to avoid mispicks in weaving. This loose end must be stripped or All-cleaned from the bobbin before the bobbin can be refilled and used again.

Formerly, this was done either by hand or by separate machine, but in the interest of that efliciency and economy of operation 1 which modern weaving conditions impose, it

is desirable that it be done automatically at the loom and at the time that the emptied bobbin is ejected.

For this purpose, various arrangements I 20 of revolving stripper rolls and traps, for

catching the loose end of the yarn and unwinding it from the bobbin as the bobbin falls therepast into the bobbin can, have been devised. The problem is complicated, however, 35 by the fact that the bobbin is falling at the moment that the loose end of yarn thereon must be caught up and laid over the revolving stripper roll. Moreover, the space through which the ejected bobbin passes in falling from the bobbin magazine to the bobbin can must be free and unobstructed so as .not to interfere with the free passage of the bobbin.

To the end, therefore, of providing an automatic bobbin cleaner which will positively and unfailingly engage and lay the loose end of the yarn on the ejected bobbin over the revolving stripper roll as the bobbin falls therepast, so that said loose end will be unwound from the bobbin and onto said roll, we have devised our present invention. Ac cording to it, we pivot adjacent the stripper roll a whip rod which is normally disposed out of the path of the falling bobbin but which when the bobbin ejecting means operates, is automatically moved by and from the same mechanism which operates the bobbin ejector into a position wherein it will be contacted by the lay of the loom on the next beat thereof, such contact causing said rod wound thereon, and

1927. Serial No. 183,471.

to whip down upon the loose end of yarn on the falling bobbin and lay said loose endover the revolving stripper roll, which thereupon unwinds said loose end from the bobbin onto itself. The operation of this whip rod is positive and automatic and is so timed with relation to the ejection of the'bobbin, and the beat of the lay that the whip rod is always brought into positionto snap down on the loose end in time to catch and lay it over said roll. Our invention further involves certain improvements in the construction of the stripper roll to the end that said roll, when filled, may be easily and quickly doffed or ,strippedof 55 the yarn wound thereon. We accomplish this by the use of ,a collapsible roll which is normally locked in erected position so as to receive the yarn from the ejected bobbins and from which roll the yarn can be stripped first releasing the roll lock to permit theroll to be collapsed and afterwards withdrawing the yarn endwise from the collapsed roll.

The construction and operation of our invention is described and illustrated in the accompanying specification and drawings, but, for purposes of illustration, We have shown our invention applied to a Draper automatic loom. It will be understood that this showing is purely illustrative and in no way limiting, .and' that we may apply our invention to any automatic loom."

In the drawings: 7 J

Fig. 1 is an end view-of so much of a Draper automatic loom as is necessary to illustrate ,85 the position and relation of our automatic bobbin cleaner to the indicator shaft and lay of the loom.

Fig. '2 is a view at right angles to Fig. 1.

Fig. 2 is a detailed view.

Fig. 3 isa plan view, partly in section, of our collapsible stripper rolland showing the roll erected. I

Fig. 3 is anend v-ieWofFig. '3.

Fig. 4 is an end view of Fig. 3, as seen from ,95 the right.

Fig. 5 is .a side view showing the position of the parts when the stripper roll is collapsed to permit removal of yarn which Thas been Fig. 5 is an end view of Fig. 5.

For the purpose of this application, we have shown at 1 the indicator shaft of an automatic loom of the Draper type. This shaft is adapted to be rocked automatically by the indicator mechanism of the automatic loom whenever a bobbin has been substantially emptied and is ready tobe ejected. When the shaft 1 is rocked, the motion of this shaft is transferred to our thread catcher or Whip rod 2 which is pivoted at 2 to occupy normally a position behind the stripper roll 3 and parallel to the axis of rotation thereof so as to be out of the way of the falling bobbin 4, but which, upon actuation of said rock shaft, is raised thereby into position to whip down upon the loose end of yarn on the falling bobbin and lay it over the stripper roll, and is caused to whip down upon said loose end by the lay 5 of the loom on the next beat thereof.

The motion transmitting connections comprise an arm 6 on the rock shaft 1 which is normally disposed beneath the horizontal arm 7 of a trigger 8 which is pivoted at 9 to the frame of the loom. The arm 7 is linked at 10 to'the whip rod, the ends of the link 10 being by the lay on the next beat thereof.

The trigger may be releasably held in the dotted line position of Fig. 1 until actuated by the lay 5 by any suitable snap catch. As for the snap catch shown in Fig. 2, which comprises a V-shaped projection 14 on the inner face of the trigger and a correspondingly shaped recess 15 in the outer face of the bearing 16 for said trigger to receive said projection.

When contacted by the lay, the trigger is moved inwardly sufficient to releasesaid snap catch and thewhip rod whips down upon the loose end of yarn on the falling bobbin, either by gravity, spring power, or by positive mechanism to lay said loose end over the stripper roll.

This roll, as here shown, is mounted in a bearing 17 on the loom side and carries the boss or bracket 2 in which the whip rod is 7 end with a sliding sleeve 20 to which is riveted a spring latch 21, operating in registering slots 22 and 23 in the spindle and sleeve, respectively, the sleeve and spindle being cure by Letters Patent is:

held against relative rotation so that their slots will always be alined by a pin 24.

Linked at 25 to the sleeve and at 26 to a spider 27 which is fast to the bearing 17 for the spindle, is a series of collapsible bars 28 on which the yarn from the falling bobbins is wound.

- By depressing the catch 21, the sleeve may be drawn endwise relative to the spindle thereby collapsing the bars 28 as shown in Figs. 5 and 5 so that the yarn can be easily removed therefrom.

In operation the lay of the loom travels back and forth relative to the trigger 8 but normally this trigger is disposed beyond the so limit of the movement of the lay, so as not to be contacted thereby.

When a bobbin is empty and ready to be ejected, the automatic indicator mechanism of the 100111 operates to rock the shaft 1 and through arm 6 raises the arm 7 of the trigger to the dotted line position of Fig. 1, thereby raising the whip rod to the dotted line position of Fig. 2, and bringing the arm 13 of the trigger into the path of the lay so as to be eo contacted thereby on the next beat of the loom. In the meantime, however, the rock shaft has returned to its original position bringing the arm 6 back to the position shown in full lines in Fig. 1. 55

The bobbin falls forwardly and downwardly while the whip rod is in the raised position of Fig. 2, and as soon as the bobbin has passed the whip rod, the lay contacts the trigger 8 to cause the whip to snap down on the loose"" end of the yarn and lay it over the stripper roll. The contact of the lay with the arm 13 returns the trigger to its full line position of Fig. 1, so that the parts are in position to repeat the. operation when the indicator shaft" is again rocked the next time a bobbin is ejected.

In order to insure that the lay will contact the arm 13 in properly timed relation to the operation of the bobbin ejector, we may pro-filo vide the lay with an adjustable contact stem 29 (Fig. 1) by means of which we are able to change the timingof the contact with the trigger as desired.

It will be understood that although we have i145 used the term bobbin herein in its specific sense, this term however is to be understood in construing the specification and claims as referring to the. weft carrier which is ejected from the loom, rgardless of whether or not the bobbin only is ejected from the shuttle as in the Draper loom, or both the bobbin and shuttle are ejected as in the Stafford loom.

Modified forms to adapt such apparatus to looms of difficult makes and types may be'125 readily made and variants in structure and combination resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of our invention.

WVhat we therefore claim and desire to se- 1. In an automatic bobbin cleaner for weft replenishing loo1ns,-a revoluble stripper disejected, and means subsequently operable from the lay of the loom for causing said member to whip down upon said loose end as it falls therepast and lay it over the stripper.

In an automatic bobbin cleaner for a weft replenishing loom, a revoluble stripper disposed across the path of falling movement of the loose end of the yarn on the ejected bobbin, a whip mounted for arcual movement relative to said stripper and normally disposed in a plane substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of said stripper, means for automatically swinging said whip arcually to a position above the stripper when a bobbin is ejected, and means subsequently operable from the lay of the loom for causing said whip to swing back to its original position relative to said stripper and during such return swing to engage and lay the loose end of the yarn on the falling bobbin over said tripper.

3. An automatic bobbin cleaner for a weft replenishing loom comprising in combination with the indicator shaft and lay of the loom, a stripper disposed across the path of falling movement of the loose end of the yarn on the ejected bobbin, a whip mounted for movement relative to said stripper and normally disposed in offset relation thereto, motion transmitting connections between the indicator shaft of the loom and the whip for moving said whip away froinsa-id stripper when said indicator shaft is actuated, and means subsequently operable by the lay of the loom for causing said whip to move back towards the stripper and engage the loose end of the yarn on the falling bobbin as it descends therepast and lay it over said stripper.

An automatic bobbin cleaner for a weft replenishing loom comprising in combination with th indicator shaft and lay of the loom, a stripper disposed across the path of falling movement of the loose end of the yarn on the ejected bobbin, a whip pivoted for arcual movement relative to said stripper roll and normally disposed in offset relation thereto, notion transmitting connections between the indicator shaftof the loom and the whip for swinging said whip upwardly away from said stripper when said indicator shaft is actuated, and means subsequently operable by the lay of the loom for causing said whip to engage the loose end of the yarn on the falling bobbin as it descends therepast and lay it over said stripper.

5. An automatic bobbin cleaner for a weft replenishing :loom comprising combination with the indicator shaft and lay of the loom, a stripper disposed across the path of falling movement of the looseend of the yarn on the ejected bobbin, a whip pivoted for arcual movement relative to said stripper roll and normally disposed'substantially parallel thereto,'motion transmitting connections between the indicator shaft of the loom and the whip for swinging said whip upwardly to a position at substantially right angles to said stripper when said indicator shaft is by the lay of the loom for causing said whip to return to its originalposition relative to said stripper and in such. return to whip down on the loose end of the yarn on the falling bobbin as it descends therepast and lay it over said stripper.

6. An automatic bobbin cleaner replenishing loom, comprising in combination with the indicator shaft and lay of the loom, a revoluble stripper disposed adjacent the path of falling movement of the loose end of the yarn on the ejected bobbin, a whip mounted for movement relative to said stripper and normally disposed in offset relation thereto, a trip pivoted adjacent said whip and operatively connected therewith and having a portion normally disposed for actuation from said indicator shaft at each operation of the bobbin ejecting mechanism of the loom and effective upon such actuation to movesaid whip away from the stripper, said strip having a portion normally disposed out of the path of the lay of the loom but moved into such path for actuation thereby when the trip is actuated by said indicator shaft and effective upon such actuation by the lay to cause said whip to engage the loose end a,

of the yarn on the falling bobbin and lay it over said stripper.

7. An automatic bobbin cleaner for a weft replenishing loom, comprising in combination with the indicator shaft and lay of the loom, a revoluble stripper disposed adjacent the path of falling'movement of the loose end of the yarn on the ejected bobbin, a whip pivoted for arcual movement mounted rela tive to said stripper and normally disposed in ofi'set relation thereto, a trip pivoted adj acent said whipand operatively connected therewith and having a portion normally disposed for actuation from said indicator shaft at each operationof the bobbin ejecting mechanism of the loom and effective upon such actuat'i'on to swing said thread catcher arcually upward away from' the stripper, said trip having a port-ion normally disposed out of the path of the lay of the loom but moved into such path for actuation thereby when the trip .is actuated by said indicator shaft and eflTective upon such actuation by the lay to cause "said whip to swing back relative to said stripper andengage the loose end of the for a weft actuated, and meansfsubsequently operable movement of the loose end of the yarn on the ejected bobbin means for initially moving said whip to-a position above and transverse to the plane of the stripper and out of said path when the bobbin is ejected and for subsequently causing said whip positively to engage said loose end and lay it over said stripper as the bobbin falls therepast.

9. In an automatic bobbin cleaner for a weft replenishing loom, the combination with a collapsible yarn stripper roll, of a whip normally disposed substantially parallel to the stripper and in the path of falling movement of the loose end of the yarn on the ejected bobbin and automatically movable into a position above and transverse to the plane of the stri per whereby positively to whip down on the loose end of the yarn on the falling bobbin when the bobbin is ejected and eifective to whip down on said loose end and lay it over said stripper roll as the bobbin falls therepast.

10. A collapsible stripper for use with an automatic bobbin cleaner, comprising a spindle, a collapsible yarn carrier operatively connected with said spindle to rotate there with, and means operatively connected with said yarn carrier and movable endwise along said spindle for collapsing said yarn carrier to permit the yarn thereon to be doffed by endwise withdrawal thereof.

11. A collapsible stripper for use with an automatic bobbin cleaner, comprising a spindle, a sleeve disposed about said spindle and slidable endwise therealong, and a collapsible yarn carrier operatively connected with said spindle and sleeve and collapsed by endwise movement of said sleeve in one direction along said spindle to permit the yarn thereon to be doffed by endwise withdrawal thereof.

12. A collapsible stripper for use with an automatic bobbin cleaner, comprising a spindle, a sleeve disposed about said spindle and slidable endwise therealong, and a collapsible yarn carrieroperatively connected with said spindle and sleeve and comprising a radially disposed series of bars about said spindle and sleeve and extending longitudinally thereof and linked adjacent one end to said spindle and adjacent the opposite end to said sleeve, and collapsed by endwise movement of said sleeve in one direction along said spindle to permit the yarn thereon to be dotted by enclwise withdrawal thereof.

13. A collapsible stripper for use with an automatic bobbin cleaner, comprising a spindle, a sleeve disposed about said spindle and slidable endwise therealong, said sleeveand spindle having registering slots, a releasable catch operating in said slots for normally preventing endwise movement of said sleeve relative to said spindle, and a collapsible yarn carrier operatively connected with said spindle and sleeve and collapsed by endwise movement of said sleeve in one direction along said spindle to permit the yarn thereon to be dofl'ed by endwise withdrawal thereof.

14. A collapsible stripper for use with an automatic bobbin cleaner, comprising a spindle, a sleeve disposed about said spindle and slidable endwise therealong, said sleeve and spindle having registering slots, a releasable catch operating in said slots for normally preventing endwise movement of said sleeve relative to said spindle, and a collapsible yarn carrier operatively connected with said spindle and sleeve and comprising a radially disposed series of bars about said spindle and. sleeve and extending longitudinally thereof and linked adjacent one end to said spindle and adjacent the opposite end to said sleeve, and collapsed by endwise movement of said sleeve in one direction along said spindle to permit the yarn thereon to be doffed by endwise withdrawal thereof.

15. In an automatic bobbin cleaner for a weft replenishing loom, a stripper, a pivoted whip normally disposed to occupy a position substantially parallel to the stripper, means for automatically swinging said whip arcually into a position above and transverse to the plane of the stripper when the bobbin is ejected, and means subsequently operable from the lay of the loom for causing said whip positively to whip down upon the loose end of the yarn 011 the ejected bobbin as it falls therepast and lay it over the stripper.

Date April 13, 1929.

THOMAS A. LACEY. PHILIP H. LACEY. 

